LEPIDOPTERA

Mitra, Bulganin, Shah, Suresh Kumar & Mishra, Purnendu, 2018, Insect Fauna associated with the Tea Ecosystem of North Bengal, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 118 (2), pp. 178-178 : 178-

Order LEPIDOPTERA

Butterflies, moths and skippers are one of the most important groups of insect in the animal world under the order Lepidoptera . They are beautiful in colours, diverse in their numbers, and play a pivotal role in the faunal analysis and environmental monitoring and planning of any region. The role of butterflies and some moths in any habitat is best known by even common people nowadays, as good and potential natural pollinators, ecological indicators etc., which enable to assess or monitor habitat changes. Among insects, butterflies are well studied groups in terms of their taxonomy, geographic distribution etc., and therefore, they are the suitable group for ecological studies, Butterflies show distinct pattern of habitat utilization. The presence of butterflies denotes the availability of larval food plants in great abundance. Butterfly host plants are those plants, on which specific butterfly species lay eggs, and caterpillars will then hatch and use plant as their sole food source. Butterflies are generally diurnal and visit flowers that open in the morning and also during the hours of bright sunshine.

Presently 37 species belonging to 06 families of butterflies from North Bengal tea gardens were collected and identified. Of them, Nymphalidae shares 20 species followed by Pieridae (10 species), Hesperiidae (03species), Papilionidae (02 species), Lycaenidae (01 species) and Riodinidae (01 species) ( Table 2).

No. Species

Family HESPERIIDAE

1 Celaenorrhinus leucocera (Kollar, 1844)

2 Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius, 1798)

3 Tagiades japeteus attieus (Fabricius, 1793)

Family LYCAENIDAE

4 Poritia hewitsoni Moore, 1865

Family NYMPHALIDAE

5 Aglais cshmirensis (Kollar, 1848)

6 Athyma kanwa Moore, 1858

8 Danaus chrysippus (Linnaeus, 1758)

9 Danaus genutia (Cramer, 1779)

10 Euploea core core (Cramer, 1780)

11 Euploea mulciber mulciber (Cramer, 1777)

12 Junonia almana Linnaeus, 1758

13 Junonia atlites Linnaeus, 1763

14 Junonia hierta (Fabricius, 1798)

15 Junonia iphita Cramer, 1779

16 Junonia lemonias (Linnaeus, 1758)

17 Melanitis leda (Linnaeus, 1758)

18 Mycalesis perseus blasius (Fabricius, 1798)

19 Neptis hylas astola Linnaeus, 1872

20 Parantica aglea melanoides Moore, 1883

21 Symbrenthia hippoclus (Cramer, 1782)

22 Tirumala hamata septentrionis (Butler, 1874)

23 Ypthima hubneri Kirby, 1871

24 Ypthima similis Elwis & Edward, 1893 Family PAPILIONIDAE

25 Papilio polytes stichius Evans, 1912

26 Parides dasarada (Moore, 1857)

Family PIERIDAE

27 Appias libythea (Fabricius, 1775)

28 Catopsilia crocale Cramer, 1775

29 Catopsilia pomona (Fabricius, 1775)

30 Catopsilia pyranthe (Linnaeus, 1758)

31 Cepora nadina (Lucas, 1852)

32 Eurema blanda silhetana Wallace, 1867

33 Eurema hecabe (Linnaeus, 1758)

34 Hebomoia glaucippe (Linnaeus, 1758)

35 Leptosia nina nina (Fabricius, 1739)

36 Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus, 1758)

Family RIODINIDAE

37 zemeros flegyas (Guerin, 1843)

Beside above, 40 species belonging to 06 families of moths are found associated with tea plants in North Bengal. The family Erebidae dominates with 15 species followed by the family Crambidae (09 species), Geometridae (08 species), Sphingidae (04 species), Zygaenidae (03 species) and

Torticidae (01 species). Present communication reports 20 moth species (*) as tea pests from North Bengal ( Table 3).

No. Species

Family CRAMBIDAE

1 Omiodes surrectalis (Walker, 1866)

2 Arthroschista hilaralis (Walker, 1859)

3 Glyphodes stolalis Guenee, 1854

4 Parotis marginata (Hampson, 1893)

5 Herpetogramma licarsisalis (Walker, 1859)

6 Cnaphalocrocis poeyalis (Boisduval, 1833)

7 Nosophora semitritalis (Lederer, 1863)

8 Eoophyla sejuncta (Snellen, 1876)

9 Diaphania sp.

Family EREBIDAE

10* Arctornis submarginata Walker, 1855

11* Somena scintillans (Walker, 1856)

12* Lymantria marginalis (Walker, 1862)

13* Miltochrista cuneonotata (Walker, 1855)

14 Chionaema bianca (Walker, 1856)

15* Nyctemera adversata Schaller, 1788

16* Creatonotos transiens (Walker, 1855)

17 Creatonotos gangis (Linnaeus, 1763)

18* Argina argus (Kollar, 1844)

19 Argina astrea (Drury, 1773)

20 Asota egens (Walker, 1854)

21* Arna bipunctapex Hampson, 1891

22* Euproctis sp.

23* Orgyia sp.

24 Callimorpha plagiata Walker, 1855

Family GEOMETRIDAE

25* Ascotis selenaria (Denis & Schifermiller, 1775)

26* Biston suppressaria (Guenee, 1858)

27* Hyposidra talaca Walker, 1860

28* Hyposidra infixaria Walker, 1860

29 Semiothisa eleonora (Villers, 1789)

30* Ectropis sp.

31* Cleora sp.

32* Petelia sp.

Family SPHINGIDAE

33 Theretra nessus Drury, 1773

34 Hippotion boerhaviae (Fabricius, 1775)

35 Argius convolvuli (Linnaeus, 1758)

36 Acosmeryx omissa Rothschild and Jordan, 1903 Family TORTRICIDAE

37 Loboschiza koenigiana (Fabricius, 1775) Family ZYGAENIDAE

38* Eterusia aedea aedea Linnaeus, 1763

39* Eterusia edcola Doubleday, 1847

40* Trypanophora semihyalina Kollar, 1844